Luna’s PoV
One week later…
It’s been one week since I snuck out of the castle to go visit my new friends in Ponyville. Celestia was…well, angry isn’t quite the right word. She was upset, as well as slightly disappointed, but she wasn’t angry. In fact, she was oddly happy. I suppose she’s glad I’m finally getting out and spending time with real pon-…people. She even enjoyed listening to my story of our pranking escapades (although she laughed a little too much when I told her what Rainbow did when she caught Nick…). Perhaps my having fun is why Celestia was so open when I told her I wished to purchase a house for Justin and Nick. She gave me a budget, of course, and since I can’t keep putting off my duties, I sent the money to Justin at Applejack’s farm so they could start house-hunting/building. On top of the budget, I sent them a little extra from my personal account, so I wonder how it’s been going…
Nick’s PoV
“Nope, this one’s too small.”
“Dude, pretty much all these houses were built for ponies. They’re going to be small.”
“I guess you’re right…”
I sighed as I allowed reality to sink in. When Luna sent the money to Justin for our house, we were both really excited. We could finally get our own place and stop feeding off the kindness of our newfound friends. We found out early on, however, that was easier said than done. We both stand a good two feet over the average pony, making it rare for us to find something in our size.
“Nick, let’s face it.”
“Yeah bro?”
“We’re gonna have to get a custom built home.”
Once again, a sigh passed my lips. He was right, of course, but we were really hoping to find a pre-made home. However, out of the sixteen available homes in Ponyville, none of them were big enough for two human males. Pulling out a water bottle (we still have no idea how that whole thing works), I took a swift drink before offering it to Justin. After another drink, we started heading over to the construction headquarters we saw near town hall, the check from Luna in hand.
Four hours later
Justin’s PoV
“Dude…what the hell just happened?”
“I’m not paid enough to understand this.”
Nick and I gazed on in amazement as the construction ponies continued building what could only be described as a small mansion on an empty lot in the northern part of town. After walking into the office, Nick and I described some of what we wanted in our house. After a while, the overseer came in and asked us what our budget was. Since Luna asked us not to look, I simply handed him the check. Now, the two of us thought it was maybe a thousand bits or so (or at least enough for a small house. We’re still not entirely sure how their currency works), so we expected a small nod or something. Instead, his eyes bugged out and he sat there staring at it for what felt like half an hour. He then proceeded to get the manager, who went to get the owner, who immediately sent the crew out to the location. Amidst our confusion, the owner asked what our dream home might be.
I thought it was just to fill time, so I just started rambling…”Well, I would personally like a study with a decently sized library, a pool in the backyard, big kitchen…”
Nick must have thought it was a joke, so his ideas were just a bit ridiculous. “We’d have to have a moat. No particular reason why, it just needs to be there. And a secret lair beneath the house, with a bunch of different passages to get in. Oh, and a game room.”
I may have facepalmed a bit while the owner simply sat there and smiled. After talking for a while longer, we agreed to go on location to see how the progress was going. As we left, I didn’t notice the phone sitting off of the receiver…which brings us to now.
“How much money did she send us?!? They’re building everything we said. Everything!”
Nick started to shake my shoulders to calm me down. “Dude, calm down. I’m sure they’re not gonna do EVERYTHING we said.”
“There’s a moat over there, Nick. Do you see that? A moat. As in a medieval defensive mechanism. It’s gotta be at least five feet deep and seven feet across. They’ve built a drawbridge and a security gate onto the fence surrounding the house. Do you know what that means?”
“…no Lyra?”
“…no Lyra.”
Two hours later
“Ok, ok, I admit it, I overreacted. Are you happy now?”
“Not until you admit that secret lair was the best idea ever.”
“…it’s pretty sweet, I’ll give it that.”
“Verily. I suppose it was a good thing I sent you some extra money then, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so…”
Nick and I were impressed. There is absolutely no other way to put it. They built this house to the letter. Every detail we mentioned, every oddity or hiding spot discussed, it was all here. And from what we were told, there was plenty of money to spare. Luna came to visit near the end of completion, and promptly ignored every attempt on our part to find out how much money she sent. All she told us was that it was enough to last a while, and she put it in a bank account under both our names. After signing the deed to the property, the three of us sat in the living room and just hung out. Luna talked about how much better things at the castle were, and Nick and I discussed our plans for the future (as well as some anti-Lyra defenses. Hey, don’t give me that look, she’s persistent). As we talked, I noticed Nick thinking about something. After a while, I decided to call him out on it.
“Hey man, what’s wrong? You’ve been thinking for a while now.”
Nervously, Nick cleared his throat and looked up. “Guys, I just realized something.”
“What would that be?”
“This is a new house, right?”
“Obviously. So?”
“And we just moved in, right?”
“What are you getting at, Nick?”
“Think about it; what usually happens when someone new moves into the neighborhood?”
“I don’t know, a housewarming…oh no…”
“Quick, lock the doors before-“
“DID SOMEPONY SAY PARTY?!?”